Wine, Women, and Song
by Nagia
Summary: Forging two lives into one is never easy. When one partner is ANBU and the other is a Yamanaka, it only gets harder. InoTen, ten songs meme.


**Wine, Women, and Song  
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01. Uematsu Nobuo - One Winged Angel

Ino has felt many things for Tenten, about Tenten. They've been friends, rivals, lovers, acquaintances.

But she has never, ever, been afraid of Tenten outside a sparring match or a licensed fight.

As she watches the ANBU mask slide down over her lover's face, looks at the captured fury, a bead of sweat rolls on her forehead. Tenten's eyes have gone blank, her body has entered that tense-limp readiness. Nothing will stand between the ANBU and her goal.

The window slides shut and Tenten joins a trio of masked shinobi. Ino closes her eyes and wonders what it would take. Would it be possible to trigger that killing rage, the mindless fighting instincts of the feared assassins, without a mission having been stated? Will she ever have to face a dozen swords at once, will she ever watch senbon fly at her like some sort of demented rain?

She turns away from the window, her heart red and aching and throbbing in her chest. ANBU has taken so much from her. Shikamaru. Now Tenten. Shikamaru always came home, and Tenten is still alive, but there's something missing from them.

And it scares her. More than the prospect of bruises, it's the MISSINGNESS that scares her.

* * *

02. Hitoshi Sakimoto - Nightmare

Ino woke with a shudder and a start. Beside her, in her thin bed, Tenten was shivering and shaking. She'd kicked away the sheets and was tossing her head violently. Wisps of brown hair clung to her neck.

Ino pressed a hand against her lover's collarbone. It was clammy, sticky with sweat. Tenten didn't respond.

Hurting just as much, Ino pressed kisses to Tenten's olive shoulders and neck, and watched as her lover's wrists finally collapsed against the purple sheets.

* * *

03. Yoko Kanno - Coracao Selvagem

Rain is pattering against the windows. Tenten stares out them, a mug of tea in her hands. Steam rises from it, but the scene outside holds her attention even more.

Ino and Shikamaru are standing in the street outside the apartment building. Arguing. The blonde cuts the conversation off with one harsh gesture, and then Tenten hears somebody come pounding up the stairs. Shikamaru turns to look up at the window, but then he leaves.

The door opens and then slams shut. Ino storms in, wetter than a fish fresh out of water, muttering.

"He's just adjusting," Tenten says, softly. "We don't like change."

Ino stops still, then peels out of her wet gym shorts and tank top. The rain was a blessing for Ino, Tenten knows. People born and raised in Konoha aren't used to that kind of humidity.

They share a kiss, briefly. It's almost perfunctory but not quite. They both mean it.

* * *

04. Ray Charles - Ghostbusters

"When there's something strange... in the neighbourhood," Ino wailed over the shower's noise.

In the other room, Tenten looked up from where she'd been reading a book. She cackled and shouted, "Ghostbusters!"

Tenten tapped her foot to the imaginary rhythm. It didn't take much effort to imagine Ino's antics in the shower, which probably included (but weren't limited to) using the shampoo bottle as a microphone, air guitaring, and bad interpretive dance.

At the thought, she set the book down and slid the bathroom door open.

Ino squealed half-heartedly. It was more a habit than anything; she was used to Tenten randomly invading her privacy.

A slow grin spread across Tenten's face as she stripped and joined Ino. The water was warm, a luxury she took a few moments to enjoy.

"Who you gonna call," Tenten murmured, pressing her lips to her lover's neck and snagging the soap, playfully holding it out of Ino's reach.

* * *

05. Uematsu Nobuo - Fragments of Memories

Ino yawned and curled up beside Tenten, pillowing her head on her lover's shapely bronze stomach. Tenten's fingers drifted through her hair for a moment, and then Tenten resumed reading her book.

"Do you like it here?" Ino's voice was quiet, gave no sign that her legs had fallen off the bed and the floor was cold under her toes.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't," Tenten replied absently, turning a page in her book.

Ino sat up. She turned to face the woman who had taken over her life. The book's cover was orange.

"How are you not blushing?" She demanded.

Tenten merely raised an eyebrow. The smirk that danced on her lips was attractive enough that Ino forgave her for being so smug.

* * *

06. Uematsu Nobuo - Only a Plank Between One and Perdition

The world around her is all shouting and fire, smoke and plaster and a tilting rush of furniture. Ino has trained to keep her calm in situations like this, but her entire life is going up in flames.

There's no time, she knows, no time to be sentimental. Tenten is hurrying her out of their apartment building, ANBU mask clutched in one hand, her giant scroll slung over her back.

Perhaps to her credit, the only things Ino tries to save are a photo album--their first year together; it was a gift from Chouji--and the family scrolls with which her father entrusted her. One pleading look and Tenten relents, lets her grab them before hurrying her desperately out the window.

They stand on the street in front of her apartment building and watch the life they made together go up in smoke. It's a strange, painful, freeing feeling. By tomorrow, Tenten will be consumed in finding out why. But tonight, they hold hands and stave off starting over.

* * *

07. Boogiepop Phantom OST - Daphne

Ino needn't have worried: Tenten has swung the child up, into her arms, and is gently rocking him. That slightly-hoarse, too-quiet voice, roughened from screaming orders and vanishing in puffs of smoke, croons a lullabye that neither the boy nor Ino understand. But the young boy doesn't care, too caught up in examine the shuriken pendant that hangs from Tenten's neck, apparently enthralled by both melody and the shiny piece of jewellery.

Something inside Ino aches then, as she watches. There is a taut string inside her. The string quivers.

This is what we'll never have, Ino realizes. I'll never pass along the family techniques.

As if sensing Ino's thoughts, Tenten looks up. A smile darts across her face.

It is enough.

* * *

08. Pat Benetar - Invincible

(This bloody road remains a mystery.)

It was late at night when she heard the window slide open. Ino didn't even look up from the new literary novel she'd bought. She knew exactly who it was.

"You've been avoiding me," Tenten's voice murmured.

"No, YOU'VE been avoiding ME." She still didn't look up. "I don't regret my choice, Tenten."

"You... really love me?"

* * *

09. Matchbox 20 - Real World

Their hands are entwined together. Ino runs the fingers of her other hand along Tenten's arm. The other woman's body is all lithe sinew and whipcord muscle, bronzed by nature and darkened by sunlight. She's moon-pale in comparison, soft and safe. Physically, they're polar opposites. One is dark and dangerous, her entire body a bitter weapon. The other is pale and appealing; her appearance is her primary weapon.

Ino asks, "What's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"Being the best of the best."

Tenten heaves a sigh. Ino watches her chest rise and fall.

Silence reigns. Shadows flicker. The world passes them by.

"It's not worth it," Tenten says at last, quietly, almost too quietly to be heard. "I gave it everything, and it only gave me one thing back."

* * *

10. BIS - Lie Detector Test

When Tenten showed up twenty minutes late, Ino wasn't angry. She simply snickered and asked, "Neji's still jealous of me, isn't he?"

Tenten stared at her for several long moments. There were bruises on her face and arms. They looked nasty. More vibrant against her skin than anything else was.

"You want the truth?" She asked at last, flopping down next to Ino and snagging a fashion magazine.

Ino rolled her eyes. "No, I want an insane, unbelievable lie."

A sigh. The magazine hurtled toward the other side of the room. Ino decided not to make anything of it.

"He's more than just jealous." A frustrated, muffled scream. "He just doesn't get it! He thinks this is all about HIM!"


End file.
